Well, the Wiki page I originally wrote oh-so-long-ago finally has a legal photo of Michael, taken at the MEI conference yesterday, and it is breathtaking. Run, don’t walk, and be sure to get to the full-size 1093×1000 pixels version. 8 Responses to “Photo from MEI”
Entries from October 2007
Photo from MEI
October 31, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Categories: Michael Ware
DC to NY
October 30, 2007 · Leave a Comment
First, Michael’s panel discussion at the MEI has been posted. I will be putting his portions up on the site. I’ve only had a chance to listen to a few minutes of it so far, but it is amazing. He starts his address with something like, “Nearly everything you have been told about Iraq is a lie.” Wow. (Those clips are now up, in the News section.) Second, he was on AC360. That clip is also up. It was so nice to see him in New York. Hope he has a good time before returning to Baghdad. As fun as the Rugby was, it’s good to hear him reporting about the war. Seeing Mick in NY reporting about Iraq was the best moment of my birthday’s morning! Good to see him… Delie, we have the same birthday! And you’re right! What a great gift! Happy Birthday, Mavis! Joyeux anniversaire! Yeah! Scorpio girls rule! Cyn, thanks for the audio clips of the MEI conference. I have downloaded the whole file but I couldn’t barely listen to it. Yours are better and easier for me to listen to. You made my day (well, you…and Mick in AC360, of course delie & Mavis – Wishing you both a very Happy Birthday! Mick showed up at the perfect time. A very happy birthday to “our Scorpios” …. and on October 31st, a propitious day! Happy birthday, indeed, ladies!!! Délie, I could only hear the original with headphones, so I used a program to boost the volume and then ran each portion through it three times! The re-dub has more background hiss, but at least it is audible! Happy Birthday girls!!!! I hope it’s a great day! Mick is the perfect b-day present! I was checking the MEI website all day and couldn’t wait until the audio was posted. I had to listen with my headphones also. Was the pounding in the background Mick hitting the podium (or table) or was it from something else? I was riveted to the audio, although I’m guilty of skipping past the other speakers. I’m sure he was hitting the podium. I used to need to use headphones to clean up the CNN transcripts, and he does that all the time. You can’t hear it normally, but headphones bring it out… every time he rubs his hands together or smacks a fist into his palm, those mics are picking it up. He is never still when he’s speaking on camera. I started to call him Mr. Fidget! Do you remember when Hala was in Baghdad interviewing Mick on the balcony and at the end he kept snapping his fingers and punching his other hand so it echoed over her talking! I wish we could get childhood stories about him from his mum.10 Responses to “DC to NY”
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Categories: Michael Ware
Upcoming MEI info
October 28, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Sharon got a reply from the Director of Communications at MEI regarding coverage of the Conference: We do hope that C-Span will cover again this year. In any case, we will be putting the audio up on the website the same day. And, full transcripts will be available on the website as well by the end of the week. So we will at least be able to hear Michael’s panel… and I’m still keeping an eye on the C-SPAN schedule for Monday and (especially) Tuesday. And maybe he’ll even pay a visit to the Wolfman! This will be such an interesting thing to hear. Hearing would be great, seeing would be better. Let’s hope for C-SPAN! see/hear/read, whatever, anything about it, that would be great. Thanks Cyn and Sharon for the tip! Okay …. stupid question …. and untimely, but …. if Mick was freezing off what squirrels store for winter, then why didn’t he just go buy a coat? Why didn’t his producer arrange for CNN Sports to send him one of their down jackets? It’s a stupid little question that’s been nagging at me. It wasn’t cold on just one day! They were in Paris, for goodness sake! There must have been any combination of wool or down or whatever coats handy in the stores. And he did quite a number of outdoor broadcasts during his time in Paris. What is up with that? Good Heavens! I’m silly this morning! BTW, thanks for the heads-up. I saw part of Sgt. Bellavia’s discussion on C-SPAN2. In what I saw (which was deeply moving), the Sgt. mentioned Mick only once. The context was in reference to following Bellavia into the “infamous house” in Fallujah. It was mentioned that Michael followed him in, but nothing more than that. I’ve actually thought over the coat issue, too. And I’ve come up with two things. One, the sportscoat he was wearing (which looked like it was wool) is not one we’ve seen on him before, so he may well have gone out and bought that when he arrived. And two… well, maybe it was just macho bravado. You know, “I don’t need no stinkin’ coat!” LOL And that caught up with him before the Final arrived. (I come from a cold-weather climate, so I tend to cowboy up like that, too. Despite eight years n SoCal that thinned my blood to a ridiculous extent. I live in Portland and own only a raincoat. I refuse to buy a winter jacket! I swore off of those when I left Buffalo!) As for David’s speech, it was terrific. There was one earlier mention of Michael, just about meeting the embed reporters prior to the breach. But just those two mentions. (It was odd to think of David discussing Fallujah at the same time that Michael was covering the Final in Paris…) I have grabbed the entire thing and may post it, although it will be a huge file. I’ll probably break it into sections somehow to make it easier to download. Buffalo? OMG that’s a cold place! Okay, who’s idea was it, do you think, to have Michael report on the World Cup? Mick? CNN? Inquiring minds want to know. Or he left his coat in the pub.8 Responses to “Upcoming MEI info”
Categories: Michael Ware
Frozen squirrel food
October 21, 2007 · Leave a Comment
So I’m watching the weekend clips as they convert for posting. Poor Michael was so cold outside the stadium before Friday’s game that he was “freezing off what squirrels gather for winter.” I nearly choked laughing. What an absolute joy it has been to see him relaxed and having fun for these past couple of weeks. It’s a side of him that you always knew was there — that devilish gleam in his eye can’t stay hidden all the time! — but that we just normally never have the opportunity to see. As much as I miss the “real” reporting he does in Baghdad, this gig in France has been a delightful treat. I only hope it’s been even half as much fun for him as it has been for us!
(BTW, Michael Holmes’ response about “taking care of the Niagaras” is rhyming slang. Use the full name and you can work it out.)
And although I don’t have the clip yet (and won’t until the final versions are done) Saturday he actually used the phrase “has them by the short and curlies” on live TV. Now don’t we wish that CNN Domestic could be as relaxed as International is?
(And I must add that it was used in an accurate context: he was describing the union position regarding the government while talking about the transit strike underway during Finals weekend.)
So now, presumably, a few days off before that event in DC at the end of the month, and then back to Baghdad and the serious side of life. It will be great to see him back to doing the investigative, intense stuff he really loves to do, but… well, we’ll always have Paris!
Cheers!
10 Responses to “Frozen squirrel food”
- jodi54 Says: October 21st, 2007 at 14:08 edit
OMG! These clips have been the most fun! Thank you, Cyn, Mavis and Delie!
Finally, he really starts “letting loose” … hopefully burning off some of the stress from Baghdad. He’s more uninhibited than we’ve seen him before – which is great! Plus, I love how Michael Holmes eggs him on. I think it’
s an Australian thing. Yeah, Cyn – I wish we incorporated more of that stateside.
It (oddly enough) reminds me how Mick has chosen to compete in two highly meritocratic fields. In sports, you can do it, or you can’t. You can handle the stress, or you can’t. No fudging, no favoritism …
you achieve through merit.
War Correspondent is much the same; though, perhaps not all journalism is so. You can brave it, or you can’t. You can get the facts, or you can’t. Michael always, almost compulsively, throws himself into the hottest most dangerous competition. He puts himself forward to be judged on his real effort …
his real accomplishments. He seems to have an enormous appetite for life. No shrinking violet, our Michael.
I truly hope this rugby gig has afforded him a much needed balance. I hope he can envision a life, in future, that isn’
t just about mayhem. He spoke previously about how he likes living in a situation with an inherent heightened sense of things. Will he be able to ever live again in an environment without threat? The thrill of danger can be as addictive as anything. Adrenaline – breakfast of champions.
Guess we’
ll have to rely on his judgement. Heaven knows we need him out there on the front line. In between, party hearty, Mick!
- Mavis Says: October 21st, 2007 at 20:50 edit
And here I thought we southerners were the best users of colloquialisms like “country mile” or “short curleys” but I guess the Aussies have us beat, Y’
all!
Is CNNI that much more liberal or is Michael the first one that has enough “things squirrels gather for winter”
to say those things on any network?
- delie Says: October 22nd, 2007 at 04:55 edit
We are in kind of Rugby-nostalgia in France. All is so quiet after the RWC! Glad to see that everybody has enjoyed Mick’s coverage. I think the International Rugby Board should hire him, in a “next life”
, to promote this sport. He was so passionate for each match, always enthusiastic. He has always tried to share with the viewers his vision of the game and the values that Rugby conveys. I hope he will keep good memories of these few weeks spent in my country.
But I have to admit I am starting to miss his other field’s investigations…
- jodi54 Says: October 27th, 2007 at 15:08 edit
Thank you Sharon and Cyn! Very interesting, though I had lots of trouble with CBS’
s video. Wonder how Michael liked Lara Logan?
- Cyn Says: October 27th, 2007 at 16:22 edit
Jodi, were you able to access the clip from the direct link? Those freaking clips are giving me fits…
I have emails out to the writers of two programs I use to see if I can get a workable version.
Lara also did an interview with him for a 60 Minutes piece last year. I imagine he thinks highly of her, she’
s a pretty kick-ass reporter. She and Arwa are definitely representing our gender well!
- jodi54 Says: October 27th, 2007 at 17:16 edit
I used the link to CBS that you provided. It took a couple of tries because the video feed wanted to play new stuff – weird. Plus, the stream was choppy. I had to nurse it through more than once before I could play it uninterrupted. Nice to see footage that shows a little more about how video is made or handled in that environment.
Yeah, I kind of thought Mick would see a bit of himself in Lara … in so far as being serious, committed, ambitious and bold. I like her work very much – she’s no Michael Ware, mind you … but. as you say, she represents our gender rather well. And I like how she maintains her femininity while not compromising her directness and strength. She’
s strong and smart – not bitchy. Too often, bitchy is used as a substitute for strength, and as a distraction for a lack of competence. IMHO
- Cyn Says: October 28th, 2007 at 15:11 edit
I *think* I finally got the CBS clip. If you had problems with it, go ahead and try again…
- Mavis Says: October 28th, 2007 at 18:10 edit
Thanks Cyn, for working out the problem with the CBS clips. I know it was driving you crazy.
- jodi54 Says: October 28th, 2007 at 20:41 edit
Link worked like a charm. Good on ya!
- Cyn Says: October 28th, 2007 at 20:54 edit
Awesome! I can’t tell you how much work that thing was… *shaking fist in the general direction of the Paley Building* (The trials and tribulations of a Webmistress…
LOL) I think I could recite the entire thing from memory by now!
Categories: Michael Ware
Rugby Finals weekend
October 19, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Well, I thought/assumed the matches were again Saturday/Sunday this weekend, but Délie set me straight just in time for me to catch the start of today’s Bronze match between France and Argentina. I’ve also heard a bit of Michael reporting from outside the stadium (more high-tech work there — Mavis holding her phone up to the TV while he was on! I really need to move to someplace that gets CNN/I!) But this has been some great teamwork, and I wanted to thank Mavis and Délie again for all the cross-country/international assistance so I can share these reports on the site. Here are some photos from Mavis to whet your appetite! Oh Cynthia, thank you for all you do with the site and for giving us a forum so we can communicate with each other. I am coming to really consider all you “mates” my friends. Cyn, thanks also. This blog has been great for up to the minute news and talking to everyone. I check in every day and it’s great seeing all the wonderful people. Thanks Mavis for the videos. You and Delie are a lifesaver. (Everyone else is a great help too! Thanks! Lol!) Delie, did you get anymore gossip at the stadium? Mavis, you are so right! Thank you all!
3 Responses to “Rugby Finals weekend”
Categories: Michael Ware
Back to reality…
October 18, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Michael’s brief appearance on AC360 last night — his first report about Iraq in more than a month — was quite a reality check. Although still in Paris, it was clear that his thoughts have not strayed far from what has been happening while he has been away from Baghdad. I often wonder whether he fields phone calls from all his contacts while he’s out of the country. I imagine they must still call him, passing on word of what is happening, what changes are occurring, who is drifting in and out of power, who has been killed. I also wonder how frustrating it must be for him to keep saying the same things over and over, and then one day there is a headline and — gasp! — people in Washington make a stunning discovery of something he has been talking about for years. HuffPo called him prescient not too long ago, but there’s no alchemy involved; just solid reporting and clear thinking. And a dogged determination to make people understand. Someday, somehow… It struck me that while Mick and all of us have had a break from the dismal war, the Iraqi people have not. Another reminder of what a charmed life we lead in this country. Yes, probably tiring to have to repeat the same thing… But so important to have his point of view once again! We need him!I can’t imagine him disconnected from Baghdad more than 48 hours! Could you be completely unplugged from your friends and coworkers when you’re off, knowing they are still living in such a mess? “Mess” is not really the word I wanted to use but, well… I thought he showed some of that impatient frustration last night (with having to tell the same story over again). He must have been tired; don’t know what time it was in Paris …. but, for Heaven’s sake …. he’s been trying to give this pivitol information for YEARS …. years! It’s life and death. And sometimes it seems that no one is listening, or even cares. He must be worried about his friends in Baghdad. I wonder, too, if he isn’t a little frustrated at being away from the story. I’m sure he’s “plugged in” but he’s not there …. working it in his own special way. It must be a push/pull situation. Glad to be away/unhappy at being away. More frustration. Though, it’s still worth repeating – he looks great in the black t-shirt.3 Responses to “Back to reality…”
Categories: Michael Ware
Michael makes a NY appearance…sort of
October 16, 2007 · Leave a Comment
CNN held what has been described as an “upfront” in NYC Tuesday, to promote its political coverage for the presidential campaign. MediaBistro posted a series of photos from the event, including this one: CNN’s Michael Ware talking about the impact of the Iraq war on the Presidential election. He really is working a lot for a guy who’s suppose to be enjoying himself. Interesting that they included him during their political promotion. Dark T-shirt and sport coat. Nice. Yeah, I wonder whether they told him this little working-vacation was so much “working”? And he definitely needs to wear that outfit on a day when he’s doing some reports on TV. Very nice. I think his “vacation” was over for him at the moment he left Marseille for Paris… He has worked a lot during the last weekend and no need to say he is surely always in touch with Baghdad… I join you about the black outfit! Delie, I hope your work is going well for you. Do you have any little insights or observations about seeing Mick in the flesh? How tall do you think he is? What impression did seeing him make on you? How does he speak to others when not on camera? Does he seem to have friends around him? Is he a chain smoker? Anything? Man! ask and ye shall receive! He’s talking to Anderson, wearing the black-on-black. Very nice! I just saw Michael on AC360 …. speaking with Anderson about the Iraqi insurgency (no rugby). All the salient points were touched on, with Mick’s usual cogent form and trademark enthusiasm. But the stage direction was a little different. The camera came in closer on their faces. The beautiful blues of both gentlemen were (finally) apparent, and Mick was wearing the much admired black T with a sport coat. He looked a little tired and vaguely impatient with having to re-iterate the same old story. IMHO. Wonder if they’ve started to broadcast in HD? The clarity of their faces was quite marked by comparison. Though, the set in my office (where I just viewed it) is far from HD compatible, I believe our company receives HD signal for the screens on the casino floor. Hmmm?
6 Responses to “Michael makes a NY appearance…sort of”
Categories: Michael Ware
John Burns on leaving Iraq
October 16, 2007 · Leave a Comment
John Burns, who has been the Baghdad Bureau Chief for The New York Times, has left Baghdad and is now based in London. He sat down with Charlie Rose last week, and part of the interview dealt with what it is like to cover a war for five years. I grabbed a three-minute clip, if you’d like to watch it: John Burns/Charlie Rose After watching this video, I wonder what is really on Mick’s mind as he is covering the Rugby matches. I wonder if he’s getting calls from friends and coworkers about the conditions … or changes going on in Iraq. I wonder, if after the partying with his wallabies mates was over, if he is actually having any fun in Paris. It’s hard to tell. He doesn’t look as well (healthy and rested) in Paris as he did in Marseille. I have to say that Marseille and Paris have two different ambiances. It’s the eternal North-South opposition. Marseille is a nice town by the sea with a warm weather where people take the time to live. It’s smaller and during the quarterfinal weekend, the town was surely all dedicated to Rugby, with the all the fans and supporters from Argentina, Australia, Fiji and South African partying in the streets. Paris is bigger and colder (grey and rainy today) and the Rugby places (stadiums, press center, bars for fans…) are very “dispersed” in the town. And you have to deal with the Parisian traffic! Could easily become a nightmare! The Rugby World Cup is almost over, not much to report…The working conditions are not the same at all. I was amazed to see Mick so many times Live this weekend on CNN Intl but not amazed to see him tired… No more Aussies or Kiwis… I thought he could have left France after the semifinals.3 Responses to “John Burns on leaving Iraq”
Categories: Michael Ware
Finals week and news on MEI
October 15, 2007 · Leave a Comment
I’m converting/uploading the wrap-up reports from last night (thanks, Délie!) — he was quite busy this weekend, but by tonight all the imported versions will be posted. Also, there’s been a change to the MEI page: Michael is not moderating, he is a panelist, which makes a heck of a lot more sense. The new posting reads: 2:45 pm - Panel III: Post Iraq War Jihadists: Where Next? Fawaz Gerges, Sarah Lawrence College, Christian A. Johnson Chair in International Affairs and Arab and Muslim Politics H.E. General Ehsan ul Haq, former Chief of Pakistani ISI Michael Ware, CNN Correspondent Baghdad Paul Pillar, Georgetown University, Security Studies Program I couldn’t imagine why they would pass by his firsthand knowledge and make him a moderator. Thanks Delie for the clips! Does anyone know if it will be filmed, recorded, etc.? Might CSPAN carry it? Can anyone attend (in the audience)? Anyone can attend (tickets are $150). I am trying to find out whether they will be posting video of the panels. jodi54, CSPAN still has the video of MEI’s last years conference on their website c-span.org (almost 6 hrs.). That’s a hopeful sign for those of us that can’t attend. CSPAN’s schedule for Oct. 29 & 30 isn’t listed yet. It would be great to see Mick talking about Iraq again.Delie & Cyn, thanks so much for all the work getting us the clips of Mick in France. What an incredible amount of enjoyment seeing Mick’s rugby coverage. Delie, any juicy gossip? Could you get close to him? MWmcFan, that is great to know! I hadn’t checked there, I have been trying to find out whether the group themselves post it or make a DVD available. MWmcFan, enough close to him to say he looks very cute in person and seems to be a very nice and sweet man!6 Responses to “Finals week and news on MEI”
Categories: Michael Ware
Semi-finals
October 13, 2007 · Leave a Comment
Well, the first of the semi-final matches gets underway in about 30 minutes. Délie says Michael has been doing reports from the Trocadéro, where the large outdoor screen is set up, similar to his reports during the SA/Fiji match last Sunday. She will be sending me those clips tomorrow.
He did one report yesterday, from the CNN studio, and I am converting that one now and Hi all!France has lost and I’m destroyed… No party for me! I can party with the winners if they are Scottishes, Irishes, Australians… But not with Englishes! It’s inside my DNA! I can’t…Ok, I was at the Trocadero near the Eiffel Tower. I saw Mick, I heard him (Hmm, that voice!!!), I was not far but I couldn’t talk to him. Too long to explain (private zone, noisy, crowded…). And no pictures. Believe me, it was impossible! That’s life… But I can tell you that he looked great!!! It’s midnight here and I’m too tired to copy,convert and send the clips. Promise, I do that tomorrow! A very sad Parisian! Sort of off topic, not rugby related but this kind of wigged me out. I read that Tucker Carlson of MSNBC is claiming that Blackwater runs security for TIME Magazine out of Baghdad. And since CNN and TIME are related…? Poor Delie! My deepest condolences for the loss… Too bad you couldn’t get into the press area, but yay you for trying! sb, I am pretty certain that Tucker is wrong. Mick mentioned in articles while he was with Time that they used a Brit firm, and CNN uses the same one. I guess it could have changed, of course. I will try to find out for sure, though. Delie, I’m so sorry. I thought for sure France was going to win. You were ahead for most of the game. Hopefully, after a good night’s sleep you will feel better. I’m glad you were able to see Mick in person even though you weren’t able to meet him. Marsielle would have been an easy place to meet him. Well maybe you’ll have better luck at the RSA-ARG game or at the Final. Bonne chance! Once again, I have been off to an art show for the weekend. I’m back now. (What a charmed life I have!)Anyway, I had the DVR recording all the time I was gone and will sort it out tomorrow. will post it on the site shortly it is now posted on the site. I made one screengrab from it, and it is so large it would do horrible things to the sidebar, so click on the thumbnail for the big pic:
5 Responses to “Semi-finals”
Categories: Michael Ware
OMG! My last gift of the night! THANK YOU!!!
How stunning is that?? If anyone posts it elsewhere, PLEASE credit the photographer, Aude. (That is the only photo Aude got of him, by the way.)
Also, there is a bit of a glitch on the site menu right now… the link to 2006 videos is floating around on its own. I’ll fix that when I get home from work.
Breath taking. You can see he’s back in serious mode.
And he spoke very powerfully at the MEI meeting…….
BTW, does anyone know if I can import Mick’s MEI talk into my itunes/ipod?
You should be able to, Jodi. I converted it to an iPod format. the background hiss might be bad, though — I re-recorded it three times to boost the audio volume. Let me know if you have problems, I can re-do it for you.
Thank you, Cyn ………. it occurs to me that I don’t know how to do it (the itunes transfer thing) since I’ve tried everything I know, and can access nothing more than the link to the site where it’s played … the link is in itunes, but it doesn’t play from there … am I making any sense?
otherwise …………………… silence ……………………………………
Are we guessing that Mick is recovering from his trip to France or heading back to Iraq? Australia, maybe? He was such a long time in Iraq, surely he must maximize his time when he is out of country.
Jodi, I’ll e-mail you and see if I can get you up and running.
As for Where In The World Is… could be any of the above. He usually takes a break around the end of December through January, so it could be that he’s gone home earlier than usual rather than go in just in time to leave again, although that would have him out of Iraq for an extremely long time. Or he could be on his way back or already there and working up stories for air. We just won’t know until he has something to say.